The auguries and our democracy 20/01/2015

It’s well known that the auguries had a great transcendence in the social and political life of ancient Rome (for example they always consulted the augurs before beginning a battle or a war). For example, they say that the general Appius Claudio was pushed to not join battle against Carthage because the sacred chickens didn’t want to eat what constituted a very bad omen. Facing such auguries, the exalted general ordered the birds to be thrown into the sea “if they don’t want to eat, let them drink!”… Although the truth is that he was defeated in that battle that he so much wanted to engage.

Today the modern economic elites have been carrying out a ferocious battle (growing in this past five-year period) to destroy and disappear the rights conquered by the workers’ movement. For that there are times that they have to keep up appearances and they try to make us believe that their decisions need the authorization of the modern augurs: Governments and Parliaments. Then, following the example of CAESAR, who being a prudent man mixed worms with the wheat to assure himself that the sacred chickens would eat… He mixed his demands with worm-offerings (like a splendid economic future in some Board of Directors) so that their demands would be duly designated as “democratically” legitimate.

Of course, for those of us who don’t accept it, they follow the example of Appius Claudio and throw us into a sea grid work. But what they don’t know is that as he also ended up losing that battle, not just because for a long time now we have learned to swim but also because our political diet is incompatible with any other type of worms and maggot nests.